1. Technical Field
The present invention generally pertains to motor vehicles. More particular, the present invention pertains to a combined trailer hitch cover and step assembly for a motor vehicle.
2. Discussion
Hitchballs or ball hitches for releasably engaging goose-neck arrangements on trailer are often welded, bolted or otherwise permanently attached to a motor vehicle. The ball hitches come in various standard sizes that are chosen for a particular goose-neck arrangement. Where the ball hitch is permanently attached to the motor vehicle, trailers having different sized goose-neck arrangements may not be readily towed.
To overcome this problem various arrangements have been proposed in the relevant art which allow a member carrying the ball hitch to be removably interconnected with the motor vehicle. In one such arrangement, a mounting receptacle is fixedly attached to the motor vehicle. Multiple ball hitch assemblies are available each having a tongue portion adapted to be telescopically received within the mounting receptacle sleeve. Each of the ball hitch assemblies has a different size ball hitch fixedly secured thereto.
While arrangements of the type discussed above including removably attached ball hitches have provided certain advantages, they are all associated with certain disadvantages. Significantly insofar as the present invention is concerned, the arrangements are aesthetically unappealing, particularly when the motor vehicle is not required for towing and the tongue portion has been removed.